- Roads constructed under the ADB-assisted South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Road Connectivity Project is connecting the Chattogram port in the East, with Bhutan, India, and Nepal in the North of Bangladesh.
- The ADB-assisted Joydevpur-Elenga-Hatkumrul-Rangpur-Burimari-Banglabandha road in Bangladesh constitutes an economic corridor, promoting trade, business competitiveness, and regional connectivity.
- WATCH: Improved transport efficiency and reduced CO2 emission through this road network constructed under the ADB-supported South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Road Connectivity Project in Bangladesh.
The ADB-assisted Joydevpur-Elenga-Hatkumrul-Rangpur-Burimari-Banglabandha road is connecting the Chattogram port in the East, with Bhutan, India, and Nepal in the North of Bangladesh to promote regional cooperation and trade. The road is expanding productive space beyond Dhaka and Chattogram, the two main cities of Bangladesh that generate over 60% of the country’s gross domestic product. The high-quality road is improving transport efficiency and reducing carbon-di-oxide emission, which is a key priority of the country for tackling climate change.
Transcript
Interview of Rafikul Islam, Bus Driver:
There used to be a lot of traffic. It was a single road then. Now that there is a double road, there is no more traffic congestion.
Travel time has been significantly reduced after a 6-lane road between Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka and the northern region was opened to traffic in 2022.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB)- supported South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Road Connectivity Project is helping Bangladesh transform the national road transportation system.
After completing the Joydevpur-Elenga section in 2022, the project is now improving the Elenga – Rangpur Road.
The project will also develop the roads from Rangpur to Burimari, and Banglabandha land ports.
The road represents an economic corridor, promoting trade, business competitiveness, and regional connectivity.
The high-quality road has passenger shades, toilet facilities, plantation in the road median, flyovers, bridges, and roundabouts enabling vehicles to ply non-stop.
The road is promoting road safety. Slow-moving vehicles are plying safely in separate lanes.
Foot over bridges, overpasses, and underpasses for rail lines, and fencing to control indiscriminate road crossing are also improving road safety.
Underpasses and overpasses are encouraging women’s access to mobility.
Women can commute to their workplaces, particularly to the garments factory hubs safely.
Interview of Munni Begom, Shopkeeper:
The road has made our lives easier in terms of transportation and traveling. Vehicles and people used to ply around all the times, now there is no congestion, now the road is clear. Children can go to school and we run our shops. Households of three to four family members are living in better condition after the road was constructed.
Interview of Subroto Roy, Salesman:
Most often, we have to get our products from Dhaka. Now we can transport our products within one or another half an hour.
Industries can now transport raw and finished goods easily, resulting in better productivity, profitability and service.
To ensure sustainable high-quality construction, the project has deployed concrete-paver machines for the first time in the country to construct concrete pavements.
When completed, the road will facilitate regional cooperation by connecting the Chattogram port in the east, with Nepal, Bhutan, and India in the North of Bangladesh.
Interview of Edimon Ginting, ADB Country Director for Bangladesh:
Improvement in Bangladesh in the road sector is important for three reasons.
Road system will improve the domestic connectivity which will expand productive space beyond Dhaka and Chattogram.
Second, Bangladesh is strategically located at the centre of the economic activities among three important countries: Nepal, Bhutan and the north-eastern states of India.
Road connectivity helps improve regional cooperation as well as regional trade in this region.
And finally, more efficient road system will have reduced carbon emissions in the context of high traffic jam in Bangladesh, which is also a high priority of the government.
This trade corridor reflects how Bangladesh is transforming to be a developed country by 2041.
